Congresswoman Sue Myrick of North Carolina

When you think of Republican Women, Susan Myrick may not be the first person who comes to mind. But the Congresswoman has been serving North Carolina's Ninth District proudly since 1995. Here is a look at the life of the first and only female Republican to serve Congress from North Carolina.

Sue Wilkins Myrick was born August 1, 1941 in Tiffin, Ohio. While living in Ohio, Myrick graduated from Port Clinton High School in and attended Heidelberg College for two years. She began her career by starting an advertising and public relations firm and later went on to serve on the Charlotte City Council in North Carolina. She would later become the first and only female mayor in Charlotte's history, serving two terms. During her time as mayor, Myrick focused on removing drug dealers from Charlotte neighborhoods, and managed to improve the city's transportation without raising taxes.

During her eight terms in Congress, Myrick has had many accomplishments. Perhaps, the one most near and dear to her own life is serving as the co-chair of the House Cancer Caucus and championing legislation for breast cancer that called for increased research, education, early detection, and development of promising new therapies. Myrick, herself, is a breast cancer survivor. Her own experience has prompted her to become a strong voice against socialized medicine and the health care system currently being pushed by the President and Democrats in Congress. On her website, she states, "I don’t believe in a government run health care system. Do you really want the same government that responded to Katrina, and who can’t seal off our borders, to run and control your healthcare?"

Two other issues Myrick feels strongly about are disaster relief and the war against terror. She is the founder of the Congressional Anti-Terrorism Caucus which works to educate the public about the dangers of Islamofascism and meets with experts on terrorism. Her experience dealing with North Carolina's floods, hurricanes, and torandoes in recent year has taught Myrick that federal government can't always be depended on to respond efficiently in times of emergency. For this reason, Myrick appreciates the importance of depending on private groups and as a leader, has worked extensively with them on-site during times of disaster.

Myrick currently serves on the oldest, broadest and most powerful committee in the House: the Energy and Commerce Committee. There, she is also a member of the Health subcommittee, and the Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection subcommittee. In 2009, she was elected to serve on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. From 2002 to 2004, Myrick served as chairman of the Republican Study Committee, an organization of House Republicans who work to advance a Conservative economic and social agenda. It was this role that allowed her to become a national voice for Conservatives. In 2003, she was appointed as Deputy Whip and continues to serve in that capacity, today.

When she's not busy taking care of her constituents in North Carolina, Sue Myrick is a wife and mother to two children and three step-children. She and her husband, Ed, also have twelve grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

Congressional Pro-Life Women's Caucus Fights Abortion Bail-Out

What do Michele Bachmann of Minnesota, Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Mary Fallin of Oklahoma, Virginia Foxx of North Carolina, Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington, Candice Miller of Michigan, Sue Myrick of North Carolina, Jean Schmidt of Ohio, and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida all have in common? Besides being current Congresswomen, they are all members of the Congressional Pro-Life Women's Caucus. The Caucus, formed in 2007, allows these powerful leaders to stand up for women and their unborn babies in the fight against abortion.

The latest item on their agenda is the "1.8 million dollar bailout of the abortion industry." Along with the Susan B. Anthony List, a group that works to advance the role of pro-life women in politics, and other pro-life groups, the Caucus recently urged Congress to ensure tax-payers' dollars are not used to fund abortions and that the Dornan Amendment is preserved. The Dornan Amendment, named for former California Congressman Robert Dornan, is a law that bans tax-payer funding of abortion in Washington D. C., except for when the mother's life is in danger or in the case of rape or incest. It has been in place for almost twenty years.

If President Obama gets his way, the law would be amended to make tax-funded abortion legal in D.C.. Pro-life groups say changing the law would encourage at least an extra 1,000 elective abortions each year that would not have occurred before. Joy Yearout of the Susan B. Anthony List told CNSNews that what the President wants to do is change the law so that it says "federal funds," creating a loophole that allows for the use of local taxes. Yearout is hoping the members of Congress will know the details and potential ramifications of the change in the law before the legislation is even placed in front of them and says her group is currently working with the pro-life members of Congress to make that happen. Because Washington D.C. allows teenagers to get abortions without parental consent, the fear is that teenage girls would flock to D.C. to have abortions, ignoring the laws in their home states.

The National Right to Life Committee calls President Obama's commitment to reducing the number of abortions a "political scam." In a statement, the National Right to Life Committee's Legislative Director, Douglas Johnson, said,

"Some wide-eyed journalists and various political shills for the Obama administration continue to write fairy tales about how President Obama wants to pursue policies that would reduce abortions. In reality, President Obama is pursuing a step-by-step strategy to expand access to abortion..."

Johnson also said,

"The abortion industry's own studies suggest that many thousands of residents of the nation's capital are alive today because of the abortion funding ban that President Obama now proposes to repeal."

Visit the Stop the Abortion Bailout Action Center at the Susan B. Anthony List to learn what you can do to help the Pro-Life Women of Congress spread the word to their colleagues about President Obama's proposed actions regarding abortion.